PM warning over China coal ban assumptions

Scott Morrison says he would act if he believed there was a weakening in the coal export market, after imports have reportedly been banned at a Chinese port.

UpdatedUpdated 22/02/2019

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The prime minister insists a ban on Australian coal exports entering China is just an issue of local rules and not a wider problem between the two countries.

There are fears the action by Chinese customs officials at the northern port of Dalian could be part of retaliation by the Asian giant over the coalition's stance on telecoms group Huawei.

But Scott Morrison says he hasn't seen any evidence to suggest it relates to tensions, while Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said it appears the ban applies to all countries and is not targetted at Australia.

"I think people should be careful about leaping to conclusions about this," Mr Morrison told reporters in Auckland, where he met the New Zealand prime minister on Friday.

"This is not the first time that on occasion, local ports make decisions about these matters.

"We will, of course, continue to engage with those local ports and those authorities and work through the same regulatory issues that we have worked through in the past."

The northern port of Dalian has enacted the ban and will also cap overall coal imports from all sources for 2019 at 12 million tonnes.

BHP said earlier in the week delays for coal importers unloading across China had more than doubled to about 40 days, but that all suppliers were facing the same issue.